7 Hidden Features of the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg)

The WordPress Block Editor, known popularly as Gutenberg, has completely revamped the way in which the user creates, edits, and manages content on their own websites. Replacing Classic Editor, Gutenberg offers people a modern block approach towards content creation that will aid a user in the art of designing pages with accuracy as well as creativity.

A friendly drag-and-drop functionality alongside the modular system makes the very act of creating content for any project highly accessible even for those amateur to it. Although the core editor features are already widely known and utilized, many users remain unaware of its hidden gems, the tools, and functionalities that may upgrade their experience with WordPress. Hidden features are designed to enhance flexibility, increase efficiency, and unlock creative possibilities between novice and experienced users.

1. Reusable Blocks

One of the most powerful yet underutilized features of Gutenberg is Reusable Blocks. Imagine saving time by creating a content element once and then reusing it multiple times across your website with just a click. Whether it's a frequently used call-to-action section, header design, or contact information, reusable blocks ensure consistency in design and functionality.

How to Use It:

Design and customize a block to your exact preferences.
Open the block toolbar and click on the three-dot menu (ellipsis) in the top right corner.
Select "Add to Reusable Blocks," give it a name that describes what it is, and save it.
Go back to your saved blocks anytime from the block inserter, where they will be stored for easy access.

Reusable blocks are especially useful for businesses, bloggers, and developers who always need consistent branding on different pages. Whether to embed a subscription form, show a recurring promotion, or feature a custom footer, this feature ensures professional-looking, cohesive content is delivered every time.

2. Drag-and-Drop Block Movement

For anyone with an intuitive sense of design, Gutenberg's drag-and-drop is a complete game-changer. This makes content block rearrangement much simpler and easier to do with complex or lengthy layouts, and the block toolbar's up and down arrows, which the majority uses, are far more intuitive. You can simply drag to change where your content goes because, well, you're dragging; it feels like real-time, and the editor becomes as fluid as your creativity, allowing you to get the adjustments without breaking rhythm .

How to Use It:

Find the block you want to move and hover over it.
Click and hold the six-dot handle on the left side of the block.
Drag the block to the desired position within the content.
Release your mouse or touchpad to drop it into place.

This is especially helpful with longer posts, landing pages, and pages that have intricate designs and need to change their layout often. Dragging blocks to their new locations feels natural when repositioning images, text, or custom elements, eliminating the frustration of repeatedly clicking navigation arrows. Additionally, the live preview will always ensure everything looks just right before you let go for full control over the final design.

3. Inline Image Editing

Hello to the end of the hustle: No more opening external tools or switching to the media library for quick image adjustments, with Gutenberg's inline image editing; Just crop, resize, rotate, and/or adjust alignment directly within the editor itself. This does away with time-wasting moments and keeps your workflow smooth, allowing you to create compelling content without any interruptions. It comes in handy while refining the looks of a featured image or that for a blog post.

How to Use It:

Insert an Image Block to upload an image
From the above insertion of an image click on the uploaded picture.
From here is a variety of inline toolbar options on it which may come in handy as cropping tools, zoom, and others.
Preview your changes and apply them directly within the editor—no need to open another tab or software.

Inline editing is a magnificent tool for bloggers, graphic designers, and marketers since they frequently rely on images or graphics to illustrate a statement or drive home a message. Seconds can pass making minor touches, such as removing unwanted backgrounds or aligning the images correctly for a nice finish, and also being able to align and resize images within the content editor to maintain consistency while keeping the visual elements in tact.

This feature is especially handy when working on time-sensitive projects or collaborative content. Instead of having to wait for more tools or external designers, one can make the necessary changes on the spot, thus keeping their momentum in the content creation process. For professional-quality visuals, with Gutenberg's inline image editing, it has never been this easy or efficient.

4. Block Navigation Panel

Working with a page full of multiple blocks, especially nested or grouped blocks, can sometimes feel like navigating in a maze. Gutenberg's Block Navigation Panel is the perfect solution for this challenge. It provides a clear and structured overview of all the blocks on your page, displayed in a hierarchical list view. This feature lets you easily find and jump to any block in just one click, saving you a lot of time and frustration from scrolling endlessly through long or complex content.

How to Use It:

At the top of the Gutenberg editor, you can find the List View icon. It is usually represented by three horizontal lines or a stack icon. Clicking it opens the block navigation panel.
The panel lists all the blocks in your content, with a number for each block indicating its sequence in the editor.
You can browse through the list to identify the block you would like to change. Clicking on a block brings you straight to where that block is located within the editor.
In addition, rearrangement of the blocks is possible using this panel; thus, editing the layout becomes even easier.

The Block Navigation Panel is particularly helpful when working on more complex layouts, like landing pages, portfolios, or even blog posts with several sections. It gives you a bird's-eye view of your content structure, ensuring that every element is in the right place. This feature is also very useful when working with grouped blocks or nested elements, such as columns or reusable blocks, where you would otherwise have to look for a particular item.

5. Full-Screen Mode

Full-screen mode from Gutenberg allows a user not to be distracted with other environmental activities, giving full-time creativity for content creation. For one, the feature helps take away the WordPress dashboard along with side menus, interface elements, and thus clears out the screen so it isn't cluttered with everything but only what needs attention and importance, which is the content you need to create. Thus, full-screen mode gives room for all those activities of making great designs of landing pages or compelling blogs.

How to Use It:

On the right-hand side of the editor, click on the three dots and select Options.
Under the list of options, select "Full-Screen Mode"
You will notice that when activated, the WordPress dashboard as well as all menus disappear, leaving only the content editor on your screen.
Exit the mode by following the same procedure but this time unselect the full-screen mode.

Full-screen mode is very beneficial while working on long content pieces, such as long blog posts, case studies, or even ebooks. It allows one to fully immerse in the process of creativity without the distractions of visuals. This can also be helpful for professionals who have to complete things within tight deadlines by avoiding the temptation to get up and navigate away from what one is doing.

This is a game-changer for writers, designers, and marketers. It lets you maintain a seamless workflow, stay productive, and produce high-quality content without any interruptions. Whether brainstorming ideas or polishing the final draft, full-screen mode helps you stay in the zone, ensuring your best work comes to life.

6. Grouping and Nesting Blocks

Gutenberg's group and nest capabilities are a strong way to organize and design content with ease and precision. Grouping blocks allows you to combine multiple elements into one unit, making it easy to move, style, or align them all at once.

This is particularly useful for complex layouts, such as headers with text and buttons, image galleries, or multi-column designs. Being able to group and nest blocks is a more significant amount of control over your content structure with regard to design flexibility.

How to Use It:

To group a block, you would open it by selecting the blocks that are the ones you want to add and dragging across them while holding the shift button pressed against any keys on the keyboard. End.

Select the "Group" option from the dropdown menu. The selected blocks will now be combined into a single group.

After grouping, you can modify the layout, alignment, or styling of the whole group in one go. For instance, you can change the background color, spacing, or padding to create a uniform design.

Why It’s Useful:

Streamlined Layout Adjustments: Instead of moving or styling individual blocks one by one, you can handle them as a cohesive unit. This is particularly helpful when designing intricate sections, like call-to-action banners or custom footers.
Enhanced Consistency: Grouping ensures that all elements within the group stay aligned and maintain their relative positioning, even if you move the group to a different part of the page.
Design Freedom Allows for any combination of text, images, buttons, and so on to be laid out in uniquely responsive ways. Nested groups allow for even greater detail, such as multi-level sections or layered content.

Grouping and nesting blocks is a feature that has no substitute for content creators, designers, and developers who aim at making pages look professional and do not require additional plugins or custom code. It raises the design workflow, improves efficiency, and ensures layouts are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.

7. Custom CSS for Individual Blocks

While Gutenberg provides various default styling options that most of the design needs, sometimes you need finer control over specific blocks. Here's where Custom CSS excels: with the ability to style individual blocks uniquely, you can gain a level of personalization that would work in harmony with your branding or design. Whether it's a custom hover effect, adjusting the spacing, or special typography, it lets you style blocks in a way that is more advanced than the options given.

How to Use It:

Select the block you want to style and open the block settings panel on the right-hand side of the editor.
Scroll down to the "Advanced" section. Here you will find a field called "Additional CSS Class".
Insert your own class name, such as custom-button-style or highlighted-text, in the field.
Save your changes and head over to your WordPress Customizer or theme's CSS file to insert the styles associated with your class name.
Apply your CSS rules and see your custom styling in action.

Benefits of Custom CSS:

Tailored Design: Get distinctive looks for specific blocks, different from the default design options, and add a personal touch to your content.
Brand Consistency: Align blocks with your site's branding by fine-tuning colors, fonts, and layouts to match your visual identity.
Enhanced Flexibility: Create more complex effects such as animations, hover transitions, or responsive tweaks that are not possible in the default editor.

By using Gutenberg's custom CSS feature, you fill the gap between the built-in styles and your unique design. Especially for developers and more sophisticated users, this functionality becomes most valuable because it provides all the possibilities to experiment within Gutenberg without the third party plugins. Your website will look professional with its polished look while looking still out of the box from a creative perspective.

Conclusion

WordPress Block Editor is much more than a content creation tool. It's a strong platform with features catering to all levels of users. Unlock the hidden gems like reusable blocks, drag-and-drop movement, inline image editing, block grouping and get ready to take Gutenberg to its full potential, and your stunning, professional-grade website is just within reach.

For expert guidance in making the most out of WordPress's features, head to AvikaSoft . With their professional WordPress services, your website will take on a more polished and refined look with respect to functionality and aesthetic appeal.